The Ball 4 Real Streetball Tour is in full swing, hitting major cities across the United States all summer long. We recently had the chance to speak with one of the ballers on the tour, Spyda, and he filled us in on everything you need to know about the most exciting streetball event in recent memory.
Spyda was born in Inglewood, California, and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He played with And 1 for 5 years, and then played in the ABA for three years as well. ﾓYou know, itﾒs just off and on streetball and professional game,ﾔ he says of his career. He was also featured on the ESPN reality series ﾓStreetballﾔ from 2004-2006, along with many other players currently on the tour. ﾓThe ESPN ﾓStreetballﾔ show was great. It helped me promote myself, and showcase my talent, and I want to say ﾑthanks a lot!ﾒﾔ
The Ball 4 Real company is owned by the players themselves, which allows for complete freedom amongst the team to decide on how the tour plays out. When asked about his goal for the tour, Spyda said, ﾓWe plan on taking Ball 4 Real all the way to the top. Weﾒre letting everybody know weﾒre the best ballers in the world, [and] weﾒre owners of our own company, so weﾒre [just] not basketball players ﾖ weﾒre businessmen.ﾔ The course of action is ﾓbasically going in and out of [the] cities and shutting it down, and letting everyone know that Ball 4 Real is here.ﾔ
The streetballers know that itﾒs important to give back to the fans, and they are doing just that, with a huge cash prize giveaway at the end of the tour. ﾓWeﾒre giving away $100,000 to a contest winner in [Madison Square] Garden on the August 25th. $100,000? I think nobody wants to pass that up!ﾔ The players are also giving back to the community by stopping at local outreach centers in every single city they play at. ﾓWeﾒre giving back to every city we go to. Itﾒs not a must, and what we have to do – itﾒs what we want to do. Thatﾒs where we came from, so weﾒre just giving back.ﾔ
The Ball 4 Real Tour promises plenty of hip-hop flavor, with a DJ spinning tracks throughout the course of the game. Spyda is a big fan of hip-hop, citing Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent as his favorite artists. DJ Quik and AMG, collectively known as The Fixxers, have hopped on the tour for the California dates, and Spyda was excited by their presence. ﾓItﾒs great to see DJ Quik [and AMG on the tour.] Theyﾒve been showcasing their talent forever, and [they] will always be around in the rap game.ﾔ
Spyda promises to ﾓkeep it rolling and shut it down, and let everybody know ﾑSpyda does what Spyda do.ﾒ Our game is fantastic, itﾒs fast breaking, [and] itﾒs a lot of moves. Itﾒs entertainment from the jump off, all the way to [when] the zero hits the clock in the second half.ﾔ
With an exciting basketball game, and a performance from two of the West Coastﾒs finest, the Ball 4 Real Tour is a safe bet for a great night out. ﾓI just want everybody to come out and check the Ball4Real [tour.] Go to Ball4Real.com and just check it out. Donﾒt forget, weﾒre coming to a city near you!ﾔ
Go check out the Ball 4 Real Tour on June 15th at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, and on June 16th at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles. The Fixxers will be performing at those dates as well. Go to Ball4Real.com for more information, and check back later in the week when we bring you a new video interview with Quik and AMG, and another special surprise involving The Fixxers and this tour, right here on Dubcnn!
